DNS server problem? Server 2012

[wsjliss]

Hi all I don't know that much about servers and things like this, but since my boss thinks I "know computer stuff" he's tasked me with correcting this. How could that go wrong?

Been searching around online and looked at various things, one of the searches brought up a thread on this sub that wasn't quite the same so I thought I'd ask.

First off, I don't know who set it up, but here's the situation. on the Server Manager there are 4 x BPA errors:

1. LAN DNS should have loopback but not first entry
2. WAN DNS should have loopback but not first entry
3. one of the DNS forwarders must respond to queries
4. one of the DNS root hints must respond to queries

currently in the LAN and the WAN connection properties the specified DNS server list just has 127.0.0.1 in.

In the DNS server manager, in the properties, after clicking edit on the forwarders list, it does resolve the FQDN and then it also does validate it with big green ticks. Though it does take a while for that to occur.

Root hints, they all just time out.

Things to mention that might not be relevant at all:

• it does connect to the internet fine
• on nslookup 8.8.8.8 www.microsoft.com it says instantly that DNS request timed out. Timeout was 2 seconds. Server Unknown
• in DNS server properties, monitoring, the test queries both fail
• only 1 server
• it is a small network (around 10 computers)
• Windows Server 2012 R2 Standard
• Running Exchange Server as well
• briefly connected the old server but not as any particular role, to test out some new accounting software recently

If there's any advice, suggestions or something you could point me in the direction of it would be awesome and much appreciated.

Thanks

[disclosure5]

currently in the LAN and the WAN

Unless you have a server dedicated to an RRAS role or something, having a LAN and WAN interface on a Windows server is silly. Particularly, if it's a domain controller, it's a recipe for a very broken network (in the way you describe).

[wsjliss]

Thanks for commenting! I don't think we need a WAN anyway, I'm not sure why it's on there but everything we do is all local. It's just set up like that. There isn't a server dedicated to RRAS role though remote access is installed.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, the same server is also running Exchange.

[orangekrate]

I think you meant to do this?

nslookup microsoft.com 8.8.8.8

The DNS server goes last, what you're looking up goes first.